Combined street indicator and traveling sign system for cars



E. E. EVANS 1,788,050

COMBINED STREET INDICATOR AND TRAVELING SIGN SYSTEM FOR CARS Jan 6, 1931.

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 6, 1930 'lll'l rill-Ill... llllllllfll Ill ll E. E. EVANS" 1,788,050

COMBINED STREET INDICATOR AND TRAVELING SIGN SYSTBI FOR CARS Jan. 6, 1931.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 6. 1930 Patented Ja 6,1931

EDWARD E. EVANS, or snfLouIs, MISSOURI" l fconn nnn seem I NnIcA'ron'AN n rnavnmnesrensvsrnm non cans This invention is a combined streets indi- Application filed January Q1930. sw rm; 41 ,781);

cator and traveling sign system forf street i care or other vehicles. 7 c

One object of the invention lsto provide in 5 combination, in relatively simple, compact and eificient rornnmeans' for bothlindicating them, and means for simultaneously displayto the passengers a plurality of signs arranged to travel upon a suitably mounted endless belt." a V j V 'rALnother object is to provide for'the sides ofthec'ar horizontally traveling belts operable byany' suitable ineans'as by an electric motor, upon which belts signsor advertising 'matter, or *any other desired: data may be displayed;[cooperatively combined with a i stre et indicating beltor tape mounted at the frontfof the car and adapted to travel in a vertical manner over verticallyspacedrollers,

the last named or street belt having "represented thereupon the names of the streets in regular order as they will be crossed by the car in its journey. I

' another objectis-toprovide for astreetcar or the like cooperating horizontally traveling advertising belts for the sides" of the for car and, a vertically traveling street belt the front of the car, the'former moving constantly and the lattermoving intermittently as street intersections are approached,

the

said intermittent action of the Sign belt the "sign-belt mechanism, for the purpose of successively'showing the names of the streets as-t the Another object car. I

is to provide cooperating traveling belts, one movingiconstantlyalong the sideofthe car and the other moving intermittently at the front of the' car through the intermittent connection of the two, iand both belts being adapted to draw or attract joint attention or interest upon the part o'f passengers in the car.

till another object isto provide for the readily brought about, i i In thedrawings. V or showing to passengers the names of the successivestreets as the vehicle approaches section of the clutch mechanism he'sam'eare approachedor arrived at'by' two belt systems referred to a sole'noidal clutch placed under the control of .the driver of t eses, whereby the required intermittent connection ofgthe two-belt systems may: be

i-ng'belt systemat the right, (the -belt 'itelf being shown in secti c Figure 2 is an'enlarged detail, partlyiin Figure" 3 is Figure'2;x

(Figure a section on the line a section on the lineA-Q L of "Figure 5 isanielevation of 'the advertising 1 ,orjsign belt and supporting rollers; a medial section of the belt being broken away.

' In carrying out this invention, an endless advertising belt 1. is provided and mounted over rollers 2 angularlydisposed at each end "of a side of a streetcar 3, the said rollershavingthe shafts 4 journaled at their ends in brackets5 fastenedto-the upper portions of the sidef'of the car as shown at 6. Theroller atthe forward end of the car-isprovided at each end with rigidly mounted beveled gears 7. and through which the shaft 4 is passed. Upon this beltinay be displayed any signs, advertising matter or other data desired, the same being carried around the rollers and traveling fromend to endof thecar with the belt;- At

the front of the'earjare arranged two verti-- 'cally spaced rollers 8 rigidly set upon shafts -9 journaled within the housing 1Q which is suitably secured in place 'upon the can A street name/belt, tape'orribbonll is carried by these rollers 8; to which theends of the said belt 1 are secured; the said 7 belt being thus adapted to roll'u'p alternately on either ofthe rollers, The names of the several cross streets which are regularly crossed by the car' 'in its 1 routine trips are represented in order 7 upon the said street'belt, as indicated at 12 in'Figure '1. j The roller shafts 9 are journaled within the housing 10 in any convenient inanner. ,As'here-sho'wn the twoilefthand ends are j ournaled in the lefthandside of the'houslet ing as shown at 13, whiletherighthand ends are journaled in brackets l i extended from theback of the housing. Between these ends of the shafts and the adjacent end of the housing are mountedtwo solenoids which are adapted to be electrically energized through conductors 16 running to any source of electrical energy (not shown); These solesquare sockets 17. Driveashafts -l8 are jour naled in alignment with the solenoids 15 and the beveledgears 7' ofxthe forward roller 2,

,noids are aligned withthe shafts 9 and the ad:

jacent ends of the shafts are cut out toform the outer ends ofthe said shafts having rigidly mounted beveled gears l place'din mesh with the gears 7. The opposite endsofthe V shafts 18'havethe deepand sfquare sockets2O formed therein similar to; the sockets -17,

thesefshaft ends being disposed immediately adjacent the'ends of the solenoids.- Square plunger 21 of a size ad'apted freely'to engage at their ends the squared sockets17 land 20 are slidingly mounted through the solenoids 15, and have theirouter ends inserted within the deep sockets20 of the drive shafts, where they are'slidingly held i n place by-means of retractile springs 22 which have their ends anchored to the ends of the plungers and the inner endwalls of thesockets; The plungers are thus adapted to rotatewith the shafts-18' Kwith'int the solenoids 15 and toreciprocate within the solenoids and-the sockets 20 .1 The free ends of the plungers 21 areidispo'sed immediately adjacent the outerends of the sock ets 17 of the shaft 9 and are-normally held out: of engagement withsai'd sockets by ';the

springs 22. However, upon theenergization of the solenoids 1 5, the said plungers 'mayfbe drawn out and thrust into, engagement with the-sockets 17 and thereuponthe shafts 9 would, ofjcourse, rotate with'the-sha fts 18.

Thegearedroller32'is driven constantly in any conventional manner, as by the electric motor 23 fastened to the front of the car. The speed of the. roller 1 is reduced as desired through a train of reduction gearing 24. Switches 25. are interposedrin,theelectric 'lines16, and these switches .areplaced'at the hand of the driver of the car. r

In operation the advertising bolt 1 travels continuously, being driven. by the motor23.

Upon approaching the cross streets in order,

' the driver, conductor or motorman, as desired,

operates the required one of the ,switches 25 to causethe travellofthe street beltell soas to bring the required streetinameintoviewr In the travel of the car in onedirection'upon, its. strip, the proper'switch would be operated to i V r'ollthe belt ll upon say the upper one of the 7 switch wouldbe operated solas to roll the belt back againupon the lower roller8: Thusthe rollers 8, and upon thereturn trip the other constantly rotating geared shafti l of the advertising belt mechanism; serves to impart-intermittent retetion ta theshafts 9, anaemia name mechanism, as desired. The operation of the street name belt 11 attracts the attention of the passengers, which causes them in 7 turn to notice signs upon the advertising belt 1 and thus the two systems cooperate forattracting the attention of passengers to each.

While I have herein described a. certain specific manner'a'nd method of constructing and assembling the elements of my invention,

it is understood that I may vary 7 from the samein minor-details, not departing from the spirit of my invention,so as best to construct a practical device for l the "purpose intended,

as defined theappended claims.

- Ifclaimi' 1. Inadevice of, the kinddescribed' for a street carorthe, like,.the combinationof av street car orthe -like, the combination of a i horizontally mounted and constantly traveling advertising belt, mechanism .to operate the same, a vertically-mounted street :name pbelt, mechanism to operate the same, and means for intermittently connecting the two mechanisms tocause their conjoint operation. 3. In ardevice of the kind describedifor street car-or the like, incombination, rollers mounted attheends ofthe car inhorizontal spaced relation, an endless advertising ,belt' mounted over the rollers. and adapted v. to travel horizontally from end to end of the car, rollers mounted at ,the front of the car in vertical spaced relation, a street name belt mounted upon said rollers with their ends attached thereto, means for driving the rollers of the advertisingbelt, and means for intermittently driving the rollers of thestreet name belt, through connections extendedto the driving means of the advertising belt 4. In a device of the kind describedfor, a street-caror the like, in combination, a roller shaft journaled at-the front end of the car,

the said shaft beirug disposed out of the horizontal,;gears upon the ends of the shaft, two drive shafts journaled horizontally. at the front of the car in alignment with thegears of the said roller shaft, gears upon the ends, 0f

thesaid drive; shafts iii-mesh with the gears ofthe roller shaft, the free ends of the driveshafts having deep and squared sockets formed therein, two driven shafts. journaled horizontally atthe' frontof'the car in alignment;with and spaced from the said' dri-ve shafts,:the,ends of the driven shafts adjacent the driveshafts having-squared sockets similarto thesockets of the 'driveshafts, solenoids-mounted between the ends of the drive and driven shafts, plungerssquared attheir ends .andmounted ,withinzthesa-id. solenoids,

the ends ofthe plungers at one side being extended freely within the sockets of the drive shafts and the ends at the oppositeside being disposed immediately adjacent the sockets of the driven shafts, means for normally holding the said plungers retracted within the sockets of the drive shafts, and intermittently operable'meansfor electrically energizing the solenoids for drawing the said plungers into engagement with the sockets of the driven shafts. I

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature. 7

EDWARDE. EVANS. 

